


Duplicity

by Jpe (Anamika)



Category: Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: M/M, because i need it in my life, fake dating au, sycamore twins augustine & diantha au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-04 09:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6652537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anamika/pseuds/Jpe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: "I told my sister I have a boyfriend so she’d stop trying to set me up with people but now she’s coming to visit and I’m in too deep I need a fake boyf ASAP"</p><p>Lysandre and Augustine end up with more than they bargained for when they made this arrangement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Duplicity

**Author's Note:**

> some stuff to note: pokemon are still a thing, but this is technically a different universe from the game? sycamore's not a pokemon professor & lysandre is significantly less murder-y.
> 
> (prompt credit to: http://nerds-are-cool.tumblr.com/post/133544218971/if-youre-struggling-for-au-ideas-take)

If Lysandre had known what the day held for him he would have stayed in bed.

Sudden rushes of customers he could handle. Stray Fletchlings looking for treats were easily pacified. Loud tourists with just the slightest grasp of Kalosian? Not a problem. And the gusts of wind constantly taking his cafe’s outside sign to see the world were no skin off his nose.

What he could never have been ready for was the man that blew in with the next breeze.

There was nothing remarkable about the stranger. He didn’t stand out amongst the few who had ventured to the cafe, all tucking their scarves close or huddling with their pokemon. Disheveled coat, hunched shoulders, and tired steps meant someone either down on their luck and hoping to get out of the weather, or just had a really bad day. The man settled on one of the stools at the bar, a mess of dark curls all that could be seen of the head settled facedown on his arms. He made no move to glance at the menu, simply sitting there like some abandoned pokedoll.

“Excuse me.”

The face that lifted to squint up at Lysandre wore the exact look he had expected- a slight pout indicating a frown, and the lines of a furrowed brow a clear enough indicator of stress.

Bad day, Lysandre noted to himself.

“Do you know what you would like, monsieur?”

The man blinked at the soft question. For a second he straightened up, as if he was seriously considering his choices- for a full half second, before he slumped forward once again and rested his chin in one palm.

“The strongest drink your menu has to offer.”

Lysandre snorted. “This is a _cafe_.”

“Yes, and a Kalosian one at that.” A flick sent a bunch of rogue curls from in front of his eyes. “Just give me whatever has the most caffeine, s'il vous plaît.”

A latte, Lysandre decided as he turned to pick up a cup, was what the man he cast a quick glance back at needed. Warmth, caffeine, and good taste all in one would do him a world of good, probably. The process of whipping one up was pleasant second nature by now, and only took the redhead a manner of minutes; minutes the customer he turned back to hadn’t shifted in the slightest in, and Lysandre began to seriously wonder if he had a fresh corpse lying on his cafe bar.

“Here you are. Careful, it’s hot.”

“Oh-” The stranger’s head jerked up, gray gaze suddenly wide and thankfully denying Lysandre’s fears of needing to call the funeral home. “Of course. Thank you.” Gingerly he accepted the cup, immediately taking a sip despite the warning. Lysandre busied himself with wiping down the bar to suppress his chuckle at the sudden jerk back, the man’s expression tensing obvious and muttered string of curses very much audible.

“Yes, it might, ah, need a bit of time to cool down.” He mumbled sheepishly, setting the offending cup to the side. “Sorry. I usually have more grace than this, I swear. It’s been something of a… long morning.” One hand waved dismissively, as if literally brushing the subject to the side. “But! At least I can be sure your magnificent coffee will be an improvement on it once it gives up on attacking my tongue!”

 _Human error in action,_ Lysandre bit back. Instead his voice was smooth, tinged with slight amusement rather than a smart reply. “The latte is hardly as malicious as you think.”

“Are you sure? I’ve gotten into enough fights with hot drinks before.”

Somehow Lysandre didn’t find that hard to imagine. “I thought you said you were normally more graceful.” His expression shifted to one of mock offense. “Do you always lie to people you’ve just met?”

“You’ve got me there. I try not to make a habit of it, truly!” The stranger laughed. He took a moment to let his amusement die down, laughter turning to soft chuckles, before offering a hand with much more life to his look. “Speaking of meetings, we haven’t been properly introduced.” The smile he flashed, all white teeth and friendliness, was bright enough to make the weather outside feel a million miles away. “Augustine Sycamore, but you can call me August. I teach Pokemon evolution sciences at Lumiose University.”

Well, that was a surprise. This man, a university teacher? Attitude and actions aside, his obvious youth didn’t seem… fitting for the role, Lysandre thought with a blink. He paused in his cleaning, blue eyes glancing up and down once, twice, slowly taking him in with more detail and the idea that someone had decided this man could be in charge of young adults. His reply was measured when it finally came out, free hand moving to gently grip Augustine’s still-outstretched and expectant one.

“...Lysandre Fleur-de-Lis. Owner of this very cafe.”

Augustine’s hold on his hand tightened slightly. “This is your cafe? My compliments, then! Your coffee is the best I’ve had the honor of getting my tongue burnt by.” Another light squeeze then his grasp was gone, other hand motioning to the deep red walls and body turning on the stool to follow it. “Your taste in interior design is… unique, too. Have a thing for red?”

Lysandre had just opened his mouth, ready to give his miniature speech on the richness and meaning behind scarlet hues that had become almost second nature to spout off, but he didn’t get the chance- A shrill beeping was coming from Augustine’s Xtransceiver

For a moment both men just stayed stock still, blinking blankly at each other as the device’s alerting only grew more insistent. As if breaking out of a trance Augustine moved quickly at last, head snapping down to look at the screen.

“Of course she chooses now to call again… Can’t wait even a few hours…” He grumbled under his breath, brow furrowing. The noise cut off following a few presses of his fingers, but he didn’t look any more relieved; On the contrary, the shine had gone from his eyes and he’d fallen back into that same dull look he’d worn when he first shambled in, nothing but a frustrated frown and tired massage at his temples.

“Sorry. It’s my sister, you see- She can be rather, ah, _persistent_ when she wants something.”

It wasn’t his place to meddle. Nod, Lysandre, and drop it without another word. Don’t go diving into someone else’s problems, don’t go prying where you shouldn’t, don’t-

“Pardon my intrusion, but is it a matter I could offer some advice for, by any chance?”

Damn it.

“Not unless you can magically fix a love life with a snap.” As if to emphasize his (ridiculous) point, Augustine snapped his fingers at the last word. He leaned back, running a hand through his thick curls and let out a groan. “At this point I’m probably beyond even Arceus’ help.”

A red brow quirked up. “With your features? Are you lying again? There’s must be plenty of people interested in you.” Lysandre hardly noticed how flirtatious a simple stating of the facts was until the words were too far out of his mouth to take back. Eyes averting towards the polished bar surface, down and away from the (too pretty) face frozen in mild shock before him, he resumed his cleaning, trying his best to retreat into nonchalance.

 _He_ wasn’t the one with a love life problem here. Why should he be embarrassed?

“Well, lack of interest isn’t the problem. At least, not on other people’s ends.” Thank Arceus above, Augustine had evidently chosen to avoid his unfortunate word choice and save them both from that situatio- “...If your comment is anything to go by.”

Damn it, damn him, damn all this.

His automatic social graces had kicked in now and were a second away from offering a mellow comeback when, for the second time, he had to force back the words while Augustine waved reassuringly- though not without a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“I’m just teasing, mon ami. Although you’re always welcome to shower me in compliments.” A wink. Of course.

The idea of throwing Augustine out before he somehow managed to throw Lysandre off and exasperate him any more was sounding more and more inviting with each word. But he didn’t kick him out, nor even give the comment more dignification than a half-roll of his eyes. “So your problem is in finding someone _you_ like.”

Augustine’s face fell a little. Whether it was disappointment at his joking being glossed over or their return to his problems wasn’t clear, but either way it was definitely the latter now, grimace in place as he glanced down at his wrist. “You could say that. It’s gotten so hard these days to find a nice guy that will stay for more than a few drinks or nights.”

“Is a relationship such a high priority that it causes you this much-” Lysandre gestured to all of him. “-Strain?” Augustine snorted, taking his turn at being unamused.

“Yes, and no. Like I said, this is all my sister’s doing. She’s convinced that I’m going to die a lonely old hermit just because I haven’t had a steady relationship in… Nevermind how many years. That doesn’t matter.” He picked up his nearly-forgotten latte and fiddled with the cup, turning his head to glance at someone’s Minccino dashing to and fro across the cafe floor. “Naturally, that means she’s felt it’s her duty to set her poor loveless brother up on as many blind dates as she possibly can.” Gray eyes fluttered closed, voice rising to a higher pitch as he crossed his legs as if imitating some diva. “‘Oh, August, I promise you’ll like this next one. He’s almost perfect for you! I do _so_ hate seeing you all alone- Please, give him a try, for me?’”

Admittedly, it was tempting to snicker- Lips pursed exaggeratedly, Augustine was leaning forward and giving Lysandre wide Lillipup-like eyes that, if he wasn’t obviously joking, might honestly be hard to resist. If this was his idea of an impression, he could only imagine what the real sister must be like.

Augustine relaxed back -as much as one could when complaining, anyway- out of the act, throwing his hands up as if in defeat. “Goodness knows she means well, but the unimaginable happened- I’m tired of all these dates!”

“Why not simply tell her such?”

“It’s not that easy. And it’s, er, a little too…. late for honesty.”

Now Lysandre’s curiosity was definitely at an all-time high for the day. “What do you mean?”

There was a long silence as Augustine covered his face with one hand, and if the red gradually creeping along his neck was to believed it wasn’t for lack of embarrassment. When he at last spoke the words were muffled, but not any less sheepish for it.

“I may have- may have told her I…. got a, ah, boyfriend already so she would stop. And now she’s coming back to Kalos this weekend and is absolutely desperate to meet the imaginary love of my life.”

At this point Lysandre wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or offer the man a fresh coffee to drown his misery in. Laughing would be rude, no doubt, but he could hardly help the chuckle close to making to its escape- _really_ now, was this man a giant child? Neither his shallow plan nor the infantile pout curved into Augustine’s face were convincing him otherwise.

“That certainly is… quite the situation.”.

“You think this is funny, don’t you?” Augustine huffed. “Alright, go ahead, laugh. Leave the poor fool to his troubles.”

“I apologize for my rudeness. It’s just a rather unusual predicament. Could you not find someone to act as your significant other as long as your sister is visiting?”

“Hm.” For a long moment Augustine considered this, expression thoughtful. “You know, that’s not a half-bad idea. Who to choose, though…?

It was without warning that he suddenly sprang forward as if possessed. One finger jabbed right at Lysandre’s chest, mere millimeters from making contact.

“ _You!_ You’re perfect! Will you do it?”

_What._

It wasn’t often that Lysandre was caught at a loss for words. Social situations and difficult customers were a breeze, his smooth words quick to pacify and settle any matter. Rowdy pokemon, disgruntled employees, bothersome door-to-door salesman- he could take care of the common like without breaking a sweat.

And yet now, face-to-face with shining gray eyes and an undeniably attractive spark of excitement in the grin, he found himself unable to summon even the simplest of responses.

This Augustine- he was dangerously out of the ordinary.

“What.”

“I said, will you do it? Will you help me?” Augustine repeated, as if Lysandre’s flat response was from missing his question and not being shocked stock-still into silence. “She’ll only be here for the weekend, then she’s flying out to Unova. Please!”

“I- I hardly know you, monsieur.” He managed to choke out, taking the slightest step away from that intense gaze. “Are you so desperate that you’re willing to ask this of a complete stranger?”

“Yes.” The reply was instantaneous. “Shameless, too.”

The sudden dryness his throat had taken on in response to such bold, brash responses was unnervingly unfamiliar. Lysandre managed to swallow down the strange burst of shock, but not without wondering how the _hell_ he ever got into this situation.

“Surely you have plenty of acquaintances who are… much more suited for the task.”

Yet again Augustine didn’t miss a beat. “She’s already met most of my friends and definitely knows none of them are my type.”

“Do you mean to imply that I fit your preferences?”

“Oh, no, no implications. That was supposed to be obvious, not subtle.”

Lysandre felt an accursed warmth crawl up to his cheeks in spite of himself. Was _this_ \- Was he _actually_ \- he couldn’t be _serious_. Augustine had shown all the signs of the flirtatious type from the start, and now that was rearing its head full force, and at Lysandre’s composure’s expense. Yes, he might’ve been able to convince himself of that; if not for the honesty in Augustine’s grin still being painfully present.

Oh, Arceus, he was fighting a losing battle, wasn’t he?

There was a long moment of silence between the two. The hums of conversation between customers in corners and the trills of pokemon scattered about faded to white noise, a background medley hardly missed when Lysandre heaved out a sigh after what felt like a million years.

“If - _if_ \- I were to agree to this, what could you offer me?”

Evidently Augustine had only been hoping for blind agreement, not a negotiation, because his brow now furrowed deep in contemplation. “I suppose you’re too classy to want money. Does my company suit you as compensation?”

The look Augustine got was all the answer he needed.

“Didn’t think so. Well…” His grin turned to a smirk that would put a Cheshire Purrloin to shame. “...What about the up-and-coming actress Diantha’s? I bet hosting her here just once would be enough to boost your publicity for years.”

Lysandre eyed him dubiously. He’d heard the name, of course- even if the rest of Kalos still had yet to recognize her talent, Diantha had quickly become a household name in Lumiose. How could Augustine, a simple university teacher, possibly kno-

Realization hit him in an instant. “Don’t tell me _she’s_ the sister I’ve been hearing so much about.” He sputtered, incredulous. Petty revenge suited Augustine Sycamore well, who was more than happy to laugh in the face of Lysandre’s befuddlement.

“Ah, you’re a smart one, mon ami! Yes, you could say we’re pretty familiar. And after all those set-ups, she owes me enough favors to ask for the moon. Grabbing a quick lunch here won’t be any trouble for her, especially if your coffee is half as good as it was today.”

There was no denying the seal of approval of a celebrity had its benefits; loath as he was to admit it, the cafe had hit a dry streak, seeing fewer customers enter its crimson doors with each passing day. But...

Silver eyes gleamed with expectation. A blue gaze could hardly stare back.

...Would it be worth it?

Sensing Lysandre’s reluctance, Augustine’s expression softened. “Look, you don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. If you don’t want to, fine. I understand, really! It’s odd, having someone ask this of you just-” He glanced down at his wrist. “-half an hour after meeting them. Please, don’t feel pressured. Honestly, I’ll probably recommend your place to her anyway.”

Silver eyes sparkled with soft honesty.

Would it be worth it? Getting sucked into that stare?

Lysandre concentrated on a particularly stubborn spot on the counter, scrubbing at it with a coolness that he hoped would transfer into his reply. He glanced up long enough to catch Augustine’s eye, to consider one last time.

“....Very well. I'll help you with this charade."

“You will?! I can’t thank you enough!” Augustine practically jumped out of his stool. His lithe hands shot forward, latching onto the redhead’s own warm ones, clasping them tightly with a relief that sent pulses down his arms and reverberated through the rest of his body.

Perhaps he could get used to this.

Augustine had just opened his mouth to say something else (more words of gratitude, no doubt,), and the Xtransceiver took that as its cue to go off for the second time that afternoon. A quick glance was all it took for the man to panic, suddenly (regrettably) dropping Lysandre’s hands and shoving his own in his pockets to throw out a suitable amount of money.

“Who knew lunch breaks could fly by so quickly? So sorry, but if I don’t leave now there’s no telling what havoc unattended students will wreak in my classroom.” Amongst the creased paper of his check he flung out a small sheet of paper, a few digits legible on its surface. Lysandre picked it up gingerly, deciding he could ignore the wink and wonder later why Augustine carried around his number pre-written.

“Call me sometime and we can meet up to, ah, work out the details of our little arrangement. Adieu for now, Lysandre!”

And just like that, with a whirlwind of words and the echos of the bell tinkling above the door, Augustine was gone.

Lysandre looked down to the paper, then back up at the door. Paper, door. Paper, door. It hadn’t quite sunken in yet- what he’d agreed to, who he’d agree’d with- but he was sure when it did he’d need a strong coffee and some time to learn how to stay stable around dark curls and disarming smiles.

This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the first time i've really published a fanfic in yeeeears (and of course it's an au fic-) so i'm a little nervous about it ahAH. feel free to give me any sort of feedback though! i'd love to hear it
> 
> i'd been planning on an actual bit of augustine talking to diantha but it didn't quite fit anywhere in here, so you can look forward to that in the next chapter. also, in this universe she's gone by a stage surname since she first started acting, so most people never realize she and augustine are twins until they're told
> 
> peace out ✌


End file.
